New Delhi, 02 Aug : On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led a high-level meeting with key ministers to strategize the government’s approach in the ongoing Monsoon session of Parliament. Among those present were Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Pralhad Joshi, Piyush Goyal, Anurag Singh Thakur, Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharaman, and Arjun Ram Meghwal. The meeting took place on a day when the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, led a delegation of MPs from I.N.D.I.A to meet President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
During their meeting with the President, the Opposition delegation submitted a memorandum on the Manipur situation, raising concerns about it. The meeting with the President was scheduled for 11.30 am, after the Parliament resumed its session.
Meanwhile, as the Lok Sabha reconvened on the same day, Union Home Minister Amit Shah presented The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023 for consideration and passage. In a noteworthy development, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) declared its support for the government on the Delhi Services Bill, replacing the Centre’s earlier Ordinance. This came as a setback for the united Opposition’s efforts to muster enough support to defeat the Bill in the Rajya Sabha.
Reacting to the BJD and YSRCP’s support for the Bill, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram criticized their decision and questioned the merit they found in the proposed legislation.
The contentious Bill, which empowers the Central Government to regulate the affairs of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi, including the functions and conditions of service of officers and employees, had been introduced in the Lower House by Union Minister for State for Home, Nityanand Rai, on Tuesday. The Bill was promulgated on May 19, following a Supreme Court ruling that granted control over Services in Delhi to the AAP government.
